Lurrí group

Lurr is the title of a group of people living in the mountainous areas of the South-East, mainly in Lurristan province. On the basis of historical evidence, the Lurr appear to be of the same ethnic origin as rest of the Kurdish people in Kurdistan.

The term "Lur" is an evolution of the ancient ethnonym, "Lulu." This name is an Akkadian version of the name "Lul." (The Akkadians and other ancient Semitic peoples of Mesopotamia regularly added a terminal "u" to the names of people and places). With the passage of time the name Lul became Lur.

The Lurrí language is affixed to the old Indo-Iranian languages and possibly a branch of Kurdish language. This suggests the length of time that the Lurr have lived in the Zagross Mountains, South and South East Kurdistan. The main dialect of Lurrí group are Buyir-Ehmedí, Memesení, Kurdshulí, Bextíyarí and Birújirdí.

There are four main Lurr groups: the Balla Geríde, Dill-fan, Silsile and Tarhan. The Balla Geríde are the genuine Lurr who are divided into important tribes such as Dírakwand, Jenakí, Amele, Sagwend, etc. There are other tribal group like Heft-leng, Car-leng and Memesení. Xurremawa, Birújird and Sharí Kurd are the important political and economic center of Lurrs.